I can't see how we can so unconditionally slate Galliani. He has after all been VP of a club whose record in Europe is the envy of everyone else. Resuts count, and to be fair, Carlo has pulled them out.

I also agree that Ronaldo was a decent move.

I don't like the continual cut-price attitude, especially since we got so much for Sheva. I think the blind optimism placed in brazilian strikers is misplaced and I will tear my hair out if the glamourously named Fred arrives.

I feel its a shame we're not being associated withTevez as its bovious he was up for a move but we appear to have missed out, as we did with Henry. The incomer must be of a proper quality. I was sceptical of Oliveira and would hate to see the same mistake replicated. Lets face it, Sheva was a big name, more than a big name, a huge one. it will require at least a big name to replace him and bring some regualr goal scoring success to our season.

I shall begin by discounting Real. Sacking Capello was so dreadful a mistake their incompetence I have just to laugh at. I remian a fan of Capello and in a way glad to see him go from Real as they are less of a threat now.
Chelsea must be gagging to win it. Squad to small last season. Formation questionable.
Manchester Utd will make a big tilt for it. Sir Alex is hell bent on winning that cup again before retiring.
Arsenal no chance. Liverpool can't be lucky again.

Barcelona. Prob got selection issues as they won't know which attackers to play. big egos bound to grate but they have a great shot, especially consdiering good old former Milan man Mr Rijkaard understands the importnce ofdefence and has looked to acquire accordingly lately.

No Dutch or German club have got a hope in hell I'm afraid to say. Frankly this is bad for football in general. The relative demise of the likes of Ajax, PSV, Dortmund and Bayern mean that many struggle to even make it to the group stages, notably Ajax last season.
Lyon just not good enough.

And so Italy.
I know I rubbished our chances this year and we went and bleeding won it, but I don't believe we can meet the challenge of being the first team to retain it. I feel a focus on Serie A wouldn't go a miss, and that means making a good start to the season for once.
Inter, mentally not capable I don't think.

Overall, Man Utd, Chelsea or Barca.

Transfers far from over I know but thats how I think its weighing up atm.

Oh yes, Arsenal are a really good exapmple of how its got out of hand. Perhaps we should have a return to the days when only 3 foreign players could play in a CL final and so forth. Perhaps I would accept four or even five today, but at least it would stop the virtual identity destruction that has undergone at some clubs, most notably English.

I would just interject with my belief that Wayne is a talented young man worthy of his place in any CL team. I tend to be extremely scepticalof the gushings and virtual orgasms English people frequently have over the likes of Terry but I do think Rooney is genuinely good.

As for Torres, good for Liverpool. A waste of a large sum of money. Not worth that much. Might do ok in the premiership as it will suit him relatively well but he's not that great and I'm so relieved he hasnt ended up here where he would have been a disaster. Least we wont have infinite threads about him now and we can focus on some real talent with a hope in hell of coming to the San Siro. he only went to Liverpool because they have a Spanish manager after all. If I was the Spain manager I'd jsut go and watch Liverpool play every week to select my squad. I do find it a real shame when managers cant't look beyond their own countrymen for players. Very narrow-minded and stinks of an inherent arrogancy that is effectively saying, we're all better than you.

Glad things are done on merit at Milan.

HAHA this had me lol. very funny phraseology. I tend to agree as well.

As for Roman, I can't see it happening.

No thanks.

Not a fan of either him or wingers in general. Neither are Milan as was pointed out.
He would be a massive waste of 20 Million euros, which must be a lot of pounds!!

Let Liverpool have him. They seem to be spending sillly money on players not worth it. And yes I am talking about Torres. i know there are fans of his here, but I'm not one of them!

Oh, may I also lend my support to the view that Nesta was absolutely irreplaceable for us in Athens. I do not say that to do down Inzaghi in any respect whatsoever.

Just, as far too often happens, all the attention is on the goal-scorers, not goal-stoppers. Inzaghi rightly got lots of attention.
but Nesta deserves masses of praise and recognition for a display which befitted his rightful, though, increasingly less held place in the past few years, as the world's best CB. I thought he was sheer genius. I watched in awe.

Billy has a fine heir as world's best CB!!

There are countless customary tales regarding signing young south americans touted somewhere by someone as the new R9/R10/Kaka Pele whoever.

Not least, see Real's dimwitted and frankly typical purchase of Robinho and Julio Baptista. Big money spent, huge expectation on young players-unrealistic frankly, so much so that in their case Michael Owen, a forward of infinitely better quality considering that he scores goals (when not injured) was pushed out.

Yet lets face it. Both Baptista, lumped off to Arsenal, and Robinho, probably doing step-overs till the cows come home but failing to put the ball in the back of the net very often are failures. Money, indeed, faith, misplaced.

However, I get the impression Pato might be a bit different. He seems to be playing a huge role for a 17-yr old, and at 10 Million Pounds could be a costly gamble. But in just 3 years time, he might be worth 3 times that. And more come 23/24. And at least that is 10 Million for what could be a players entire career in theory, not the last 3 years of it. Now that sounds good value for virtually any 1st division player. In addition, Milan are hardly the club to be counting the pennies. We've just won the CL! Frankly 10 Mil should be a snip.

Personally I would therefore go for him. Set a limit of what we are willing to pay, but bid upto it.

I would also do the same with Adriano. He blatanty wants out, he has proven talent, it's just a case of harnessing it. We know Inter can't do that. But we know we have discipline in Milanello. And the promising signs from Ronaldo show that we should be able to turn Adriano into the devastating goal scoring machine anybody knows he could be.

I'm really sorry but there is no chance of this happening.

Chelsea have not made any real efforts to find a new striekr of the right calibre- Pizzaro is merely a bench warmer lets face it. After all, if Sheva was telling the truth, and we hope he was, when he said his move was not for money or footballing reasons, but for his wife, then unless she suddenly swallowed an italian dictionary or found that Eton had a branch in Milan, Sheva is staying firmly in Sir Malcolm Rifkind's constituency.

Blatantly a striker is required. Time spent discussing Sheva as this striker is however time wasted, I feel.

I made it quite clear last year that I didn't like the shirt we went on to win the CL in. Too few stripes, hence being chunky, and of baffling inequal width which really annoyed me.

However, a good job has been done with this new shirt. I like it. It has plenty of stripes, and I agree, within reason, the more stripes the better. Plus, they're all the same width so it doesn't look like a stupid mistake!

I am a bit worried about how tight looking it is!!! Hopefully the general market will have a slightly more 'generous' cut.

Also I shan't moan about the Bwin box, last year it looked huge and whether it is just the shirt or the sponsors name has actually been shrunk I don't know, it looks smaller and I don't mind the black box consequently.

Big red box on back a little unneccessary. That apart, I'm happy.

Must agree with dst from an earier post, I loved the 05-06 shirt too!

I think it might be one more season until the managers start moving. I definitely think, given this years shambles, it's time for Carlo, frankly, to resign, let alone having to be pushed.

Lippi. His team selection at the WC baffled and, at times, frustrated me. However, he is a Serie A man, something we need to start competing in again, he has 3 CL league finals to his name, and one win, same as Capello. Normally I would advocate Capello for the post of Milan manager but perhaps his failed stint at Real has dented my confidence in him, though they are a sinking ship regardless I feel.

I think Prandelli and Spaletti are great coaches and are the future of Italian football management much like Capello and Lippi once were. I agree that prizing Spaletti away will be hard to say the least. Perhaps Prandelli isn't quite ready for Milan yet, but then, neither one might say was Sacchi etc, in terms of experience at top clubs. He is no Sacchi though.

For me, Lippi, would be satisfactory, or, my new favourite, Benitez. However, given the new gold-laden owners of Anfield, and all the extra booty he has to splash now, I doubt he'll be eager to jump a ship that is evidently on the rise and rise.

Mourinho might fancy us or Real, but I know I don't fancy him and his arrogant, abrasive nature.

Hiddink anyone?

Personally I had not considered Dida the culprit for our 2 conceded goals until now. It is a shame he didn't manage to save the 2nd one but the first was pretty hard to save and on both occasions, I do feel that it was hte defences fualt for not having cleared the ball, especially with the second goal, someone should have just hoofed it clear.He still looks pretty safe otherwise and tbh I find him quite reassuring to have at the back. Unless Buffon turns up we're as well to keep him, a decision that seems to have already been made judging by his new contract, so we might as well get used to him sticking around.

If he is unavailable or frankly no where near 100% we have no chance. Our chances with him are pretty slender but without, almost a pointless match. Really hope he can play and is fully fit. Otheriwse Kaka would have to play as an out and out striker in my view because I really don't see Oliveira as a realistic option. We actually need to score.

Interesting discussion.
What I want to happen is usually not the same as what I anticipate ahppening. The same is true here. Obviosuly I want Milan to beat Bayern, and we will have to as I don't believe 3-3 is a possibility. However, I think it is unlikely. Last season I had a lot of faith in Pippo, but I think we all realise that he is, gradually, season by season losing his former predatorial clinical sbility. Without Gila, our chances are low. I don't think Oliveira will be any good. He has been just as hopeless as I anticipated before his arrival. As I don't believe we can win, we should put out a strong side for Empoli.

Getting 4th is paramount. Unless anyone here beleives we can battle through to the final and win it, any further efforts in the CL are a diversion, albeit enjoyable for us, from the real objective, a CL spot for next year. Real trouble if we don't make 4th.

So the match against Bayern we must not rest lots of players for, perhaps one or two, Kaka perhaps, Pirlo too. But little more. We will have to face Bayern perhaps a little tired but we shall have to go th extra mile.

Real problem for me was, largely due to our own formation, we pushed Kaka into being a winger rather than his traditional AMC. He must either hold that posn alone,w hich means Oliveira partners Pippo, not good a mon avi, or, as Han opined, play him as a CF, alongside Pippo, with Seedorf the AMC. The CM on the left could be taken by Serginho as so I subscribe to such a proposed formation, given the circumstances, otheriwse, yes, I would have opted for Pippo and Gila upfront togeter etc.

I think Bayern will manage to score once, either a 1-0 win to them, or 1-1. Either way, us, out.

I hope I'm wrong.

This match just reinfroces the principle that if you don't score when you're in the ascendency, it will come back to bite you. We controlled 3/4 of the tie, but scored just once, due to ridiculous misses from first Gila's header, then Kaka's attempt one on one with Rensing. Consequently, Bayern, who'd looked pretty lazy the rest of the tie, caught Milan late and with extra energy, and punished us for not taking our earlier chances. Milan should never have sat back at 1-0 thinking that was enough, and typically, we closed up, thought we'd just play out the last 15 mins and then, just desserts for complacency.

The question is does one think Bonera is good enough to be our starting CB for the next 5 years or so, as that should really be the plan in order to maintain stability and build a team for the future. Ok, so he's had a good season with us this year. That is no guarantee next year will be as good, or indeed, whether his performances have been good enough in the first place.

I do not think I am willing to hold myself out to that and think finding a more established CB would be preferential.

As for the Brazilian point, if we don't want him, and we are not persuaded by players saying they want to come, which I am not sure that we aren't entirely, it should come down to best player for the position, and I could think of dozens of better qualified people for the position than Ze Roberto. I don't doubt Brazilians by nature are good, but, in this case, there are better than him. And while the occasional Brazilian full back such as Cafu maybe advantageous when an attacking element is required down the wings, otherwise I would look elsewhere, especially for CBs. Thats just me though I suppose.

If I was the Roma coach, I'd note that our 2nd place is pretty safe. Perhaps we could draw or even lose without losing too much. Hence, save and rest a number of key players for the titanic clash with Man Utd. If I was Spalletti I would be out to try and win the CL, no matter how hard a task that seems. Sure, Man Utd stands in their way, but they have reigning champions Chelsea on their back and are still in the FA Cup. Secretly, they are eyeing an historic 2nd treble, but could it prove to be hands in too many baskets?

With such big guns out of the CL already, I would go all out to win this, given that there is not a hope in hell of snatching the league from Inter, or a real chance that we will be overtaken for our guarunteed CL spot. Hence, rest some decent players for CL.

Ancelotti. I would know, that yes, though big names are out of CL, we have been unconvincing so far, and that the main objective must be to get 4th or above in the league instead. Since we are 4 points, I think, off the 4th placed team, we cannot sit back, and must overturn the deficit. Otherwise, we can have little chance of attracting world-class talent to Milan for a full scale assualt next season, and, moreover, may risk losing some of our own big names, god forbid, because of the lack of CL football. Hence, this match must be won against Roma, and the team will just have to be a little tired for Bayern. If he is sober enough to realise our chances are minimal in the CL, he will be willing to make this sacrifice. Who knows, the team might even be able to win both (optimistic) but if Spaletti is thinking the way I would be thinking, a victory might just be possible over the weakened team that has had such a convincing edge over us all season.

(Sorry for length, its just part of being a lawyer that everything must be spelt out and justified (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )

Sorry double post see below

I think he is virtually crumbling physically. If he can only play every other game then we desperately need to recruit a new world-class CB for next season. The idea that because such a legend is still playing we can't get someone new when we obviously do is now holding us back and I am afraid to say, not in the best interests of the club. If he can play every other game, plus still get injuredintermittently as he will do, then how many games can he play in a season. Not enough, in my view, for him to be justified as or first XI CB, and hence a new one needs to be purchased asap.

The question left is can Maldini be content with next season on the bench the majority of the time, or is this simply unfitting for such a great? Then again, if he leaves this season, chances are he will leave empty handed- please don't try and convince me we are going to win CL, I would eat my hat if we did.

I think, unless the unthinkable occurs, and we win the CL this season, then he should play one more season, predominantly as a 1st change CB for one of the 2 centre backs- Nesta and whoever elseis recruited, and hope we win something. Either way, then, physically, he will simply have to retire. Billy did it, saw his CB berth go to younger players, and for longer than the one season I am advocating Maldini do it for. If he ends up playing on for one more season, and consequently us not buying a new world-class CB to be the starting CB alongside Nesta, his injuries and fragile physical state will mean the likes of Bonera are persistently filling in for him, probably playing 2/3 to 3/4 of the season there, and although he has impressed me at CB, I still don't think he is of quite high enough quality to play there so regularly.

Sad times I know, but it is this, or he could have retired two or three years ago say-2005, after that final.

^ Lol it does seem that way. Frankly this story is concerning, perhaps he is under-rated, but he still isn't that great. At 32, he is absolutely worthless to us. We have a striker of a similar age who is far more prolific and for Inter just to jettison their unwanted waste on us is frankly disgusting and we shouldnt allow it.

Really don't have a clue how Arsenal so high. Of all the big European sides, they are surely one of the poorest. They uy few players, and when they do, they are hardly bank-balance breakers. Just ridiculous.

I really hope this story is a joke. Why is there an assumption that Brazilian=only option.

I don't think Brazil won the last World Cup so they are not the be all and end all. Ze Roberto is not a bad player, but frankly why would we actively desire him?

We don't need another player like him. It seems that if we are adding another AM it will be Ronaldinho and to be fair, he would be a worthy addition to any squad. We still have Seedorf who is looking a bit more like he cares this season. If we were to recruit, we should look only for the best quality, someone along the lines of Gerrard who could play either in CM or as an AM. If Deco went on sale he would be worth considering.

It just annoys me, and I see it in the Juan story, that every Brazilian wants to come to Milan, and Milan seem to be happy to let that happen. Whatever happened to a meritocracy- best player for the position. I know for a start, that if we were looking for a CB, a Brazilian is the last person I would think to fill the role, especially at a club like Milan with its historic defence. If we want a new CB, and lets face it, the sooner the better given Maldini et al, then Barzagli seems to be the best option by far. Surely we should be able to gazump him off Juve with the temptation of CL football, and who'd want to go to Juve with their distinctly blackened name. I spose, first though we must secure 4th place, and that is a different task altogether.....

I really hope this story is more Spanish Media twaddle to fill their pages. Robinho is a classic Real purchase, massive reputation and supposed potential that has not come to fruition. And the price tag is outrageous. Lets stay away, well away.

Rest of season would be extreme but the next 3 matches might work. The police must root out the hooligans, ban them, lock them up where necessary. No booze at grounds if necessary. The priority must be the football.

Yeah I know strictly they should. I just dont know how to get the e egrave or whatever they are called on my computer.